Adelaide pulled off a memorable comeback to defeat Sturt by seven points at Adelaide Oval on Sunday afternoon, booking its place in next weekend’s second semi final against Glenelg.  

The Crows trailed for the first three quarters before piling on the first five goals of the final term to win 11.9 (75) to 10.8 (68).

Here are the five key takeaways.

A memorable comeback 

Adelaide showcased its incredible determination on Sunday afternoon as it turned a 35-point deficit early in the second quarter into a gritty seven-point victory.  

Trailing by 16 points heading into the final term, the Crows booted three goals in seven minutes to take their first lead of the day, and would not relinquish their advantage.  

SANFL Senior Coach Michael Godden said the result showed the character of his group. 

“Those are the sorts of wins we strive for as a footy club at any grade,” Godden said.

“For these guys to see it as an opportunity and not the end is what I loved about it, they saw the opportunity to be better and come back.

“What turned it was their consistency of attitude, they don’t see failure, they don’t give in.” 

Keane important in defence 

Defender Mark Keane proved an important addition to Adelaide’s backline for its first final. 

Keane was rarely beaten in one-on-one contests, intercepted strongly in the air, and was composed with his ball use out of defence.

“Mark is critically important to us being a big body, a player that can intercept, defend and spoil really well,” Godden said. 

“We have really struggled for height the last few weeks with the injuries we have got so he was really important.”

Keane finished with 13 disposals, five marks – three contested – and three rebound 50’s.

Borlase steps up in the ruck

James Borlase showcased his versatility on Sunday afternoon, filling the void left by Kieran Strachan in the ruck.

Borlase did not look out of place, able to win plenty of taps, follow up his work to get clearances and cover the ground well to take intercept marks. 

“He took a little while to get going, obviously playing as a key back the majority of his life,” Godden said. 

“Once he got going I thought he did a really good job.” 

Borlase finished with 15 disposals, three marks, four tackles, five clearances and 27 hitouts. 

Crows smalls get it done when it counts

In the final quarter it was Adelaide’s small forwards who proved dangerous and the catalyst for the comeback victory. 

Tariek Newchurch and Matthew Wright were particularly influential in the fourth quarter with Newchurch booting two majors and Wright slotting the go-ahead goal. 

“We asked for a big effort from Tariek in that second half and we thought he responded well in the end,” Godden said. 

“Wrighty is a player that just finds a way to impact the game, he is as classy as anyone on the field.” 

They were well supported by Adelaide SANFL Development Player Riley Clamp who also bagged two goals in the term. 

Midfielders fight hard

Adelaide’s midfield brigade of Tyler Brown, Jackson Hately, Sam Berry, Billy Dowling and Jay Boyle fought hard all day, with their perseverance helping the Crows get back in the game in the second half. 

Despite losing the clearance battle 43 to 29, the Crows on-ballers were still impactful with Godden pleased with the way they performed. 

“They (Sturt) have some great players in there, but we had some really strong contributors as well,” Godden said. 

“Hately, Dowling and Brown have been really strong for us all year and they continued to fight.”

Brown finished with a team-high 24 disposals and seven clearances, Hately had 21 touches and eight tackles, while Berry (17 disposals), Dowling (18 disposals) and Boyle (14 touches and two goals) all left their mark.

Adelaide will play Glenelg next Sunday at Adelaide Oval with the first bounce at 3:15pm.

If the Crows win they will book their spot in their first SANFL Grand Final. 

ADELAIDE: 1.4  3.7  6.7  11.9 (75)                                                                                                  

STURT: 5.3  7.4  9.5  10.8 (68)                                                                                                    

GOALS

Adelaide: Boyle, Cook, Wright, Newchurch, Clamp 2, Berry,

Sturt: McFadyen 3, Fahey-Sparks, Burrows 2, Thiele, Hone, Dakin 

BEST:

Brown, Parnell, Berry, Borlase, Nankervis, Cook